Ehrengard: Die Geschichte einer Verführung

I was expecting the worst due to some bad reviews I read about prior to seeing it. And I normally abandon a movie within the 15 Minutes but I truly enjoyed this satire. It's a good mix of culture, art, history, romance and comedy. It's for people with a good sense of humor and it was light I must say that the cinematography and jartwork done by the Danish Queen Margrethe was phenomenal. I wasn't really sure whether it was filmed in Denmark because there were some mountains in the background. But the art scene is lovely. The twists in the plot was hilarious as well. I was definitely entertained. This is not a serious dramatic historical thing, but an entertaining piece of romance, comedy, in a danish fashion.

In this adaptation of a Karen Blixen novel, Cazotte (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) discusses the art of seduction with The Grand Duchess (Sidse Babett Knudsen) while painting her. They hatch the idea of him teaching her shy son, Prince Lohar (Emil Aron Dorph) how to seduce Princess Ludmilla (Emilie Kroyer Koppel). The plan works and the young couple gets married.

However, a scandalous situation breaks out that requires the couple to hide from society for a few months in the country. Cazotte, who has been fancying lovely and proper young woman Ehrengard (Alice Esther Bier Zandén) for sometime now, suggests that she keeps Ludmilla company while the couple is in hiding.

Cazotte makes a bet with the Grand Duchess that he can seduce Ehrengard during this period of seclusion.

The conniving pair could not imagine that Ehrengard is not as naive and dumb as they think she is. What she does would leave a lasting impact on Cazotte and society.

This is pleasing to the eyes thus manages to hold the attention while the viewer keeps wondering what the story is leading up to. The twist at the end would leave the viewer chuckling.

A gem of a movie. The production is wonderful, from the cinematography (especially the lighting), to the enchanting castle settings, to the whimsical landscape backgrounds. Also notable were the amazing costumes which I gather were partly designed by the Queen of Denmark. The story kept me totally engaged throughout. There are many hilarious moments, with much of the humour coming from the characters' facial expressions. With a lesser cast this mightn't have come off, but the acting was brilliant across the board. I read that the movie took a decade to develop - it was a decade well spent as the end result is flawless. Will definitely be watching it again!

But anyone with a broad mind and a sense of fun will find this film a total delight. I approached it warily, sensing a tired old BBC-flavoured costume drama along the lines of Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice (the more recent version: the earlier one with Colin Firth was genial), but two minutes in and the sight of the Arch Duchess recomposing herself for her portrait after making a failed grab at the artist and I was captivated. Dialogues are spot on: timeless and utterly convincing; acting is flawless across the board; photography is ravishing. What more do you want? Answer, I want more from this team and this director.

I usually do not like romantic comedies, but this was a delight. It was much better than what usually comes out of Hollywood. The movie is visually gorgeous and the story has lots of twists and turns to keep you surprised. The acting was right on and the dialog clever. I do not understand the negative reviews. These must be people with no sense of humor. If you want a fun ride that will surprise you at every turn, you will enjoy this. Congratulations to the Danes for making a movie that has entertained people in many countries! I need to have 600 characters and don't know what else to say! There I met the requirement.